Australia made a comfortable end to their season which was hefty disappointing depriving them off the invincible status and going through back ground controversies with a win in the solo T20 match against NZ at SCG on Sunday. The match was looking out of control of the hosts with Brendon McCullum willowing firm with 61 off 47 balls and was about to make the winning cricket score of 151 runs until the 19th over. Voges made the brave batsman to wait for the replay to make sure that he could make the nearly impossible catch. Voges was about to fall on the boundary ropes after catching a shot from B McCullum and with a laudable presence of mind he threw the ball in the air before falling on to the ropes. He was quicker than a cheetah to be on his knees and gathered the ball before pitching on the ground and we think that would be remembered for a long time as one of the fanciful catches ever. Those catch also poured water on the Kiwis’ hopes of clinching the match leaving them requiring 14 off the last over.

Bracken stood between New Zealand and victory after being the second bowler in the history of T20 to bowl a maiden over earlier in the innings and he also registered 10 consecutive dot balls. On the first delivery itself Kiwis lost  Franklin getting run out and after conceding singles on the next two balls Bracken could throw another dot ball ending the visitors with two balls left trailing 11 runs as the score was 139/5. Nathan McCullum went all out with a four and six off the last 2 balls but only to trail behind Aussies’ score by one run. Bracken finished with 0 for 16 of which 10 runs came off the last 2 deliveries. That remarkable feat won him the man of the match price.

 NZ’s chase was sympathetic with Guptill and Fulton being early victims to Siddle with a score of just 12 runs. Further Broom (36 off 26) joined McCullum to make a stand of 61 runs which also shaped things in favour of Black caps. Last over of Hopes was taken for a charge by B McCullum earning 20 out of it but Voges took the match away from them at long-on relieving the hosts.

Earlier after winning the toss stand in skipper Haddin opted to bat first and they were given a blistering start by Warner (23 off 15) and Haddin (15 off 10). The momentum was but soon broken with Vettori scalping Warner off O’Brien and immediately after Southee clasping on to a return catch from Haddin. Voges allied with Hussey to overcome the lean overs bowled by Vettori in the middle and they stood together till Aussies’ score got past 100 mark. With Voges departure for 26 declaring lbw off Elliot the chances of making a big cricket score was left shaken. Then Hussey spooned a catch to Broom off a Vettori delivery after scoring an anchoring 41 from 39 balls. However Hopes managed to make the score go beyond 150 mark.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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